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Progressive Animal
Welfare Society
PO Box 1037
Lynnwood, WA 98046

Nature Interpretationby Kevin Mack, PAWS Wildlife Naturalist

Spring has
arrived. I didn't come to this conclusion by looking at the date on a
calendar, or by noticing a change in the weather. I decided that spring
had arrived after observing the behavior of the wildlife around me. For
several weeks now, the small plot of woods on PAWS' property has become
increasingly filled with a rich variety of bird songs. The handful of
species whose alarm calls had greeted me at 7 a. m. throughout the
winter are now singing loudly when I arrive to start my day. Their
voices have been joined by the voices of others who are eager to carve
out their own little patch in the forest. A partially dead alder tree
outside my office window has become a hub of activity in recent days.

This Red-Breasted Merganser is currently recovering from a fractured scapula at the PAWS Wildlife Center.

A squirrel was seen carrying a mouthful of leaves into an old flicker
nest cavity even as a female flicker was beginning the excavation of a
new cavity just a few feet higher on the trunk. Twenty feet away from
the tree, three crows were observed picking through twigs and roots on
the ground, and flying away with several that they deemed acceptable.
After living through what turned out to be a very mild winter, it seems
that some of our local residents are looking to get an early start on
unleashing the next generation on the world. Whenever I start to hear
the bird songs and see the nest and den preparation I always have the
same thought…"uh-oh".

There are two seasons at the PAWS Wildlife Center: the busy season, and
the insanely busy season. Birds singing and building nests, and mammals
defending territories and seeking den sites herald the beginning of the
latter. The "squirrel in my attic" calls have already started rolling
in, soon to be joined by the "starling in my chimney", and "raccoon or
opossum in my crawlspace" calls. Any day we'll begin to get the
"woodpecker ruining my wood siding" and "house sparrows nesting in my
dryer vent" calls. We get these and similar calls every year and they
make it abundantly clear to me how differently than other animals we
view our surroundings.

In the interest of decreasing the chances for interspecies conflict as
the result of misunderstandings, I have compiled a short list of things
that I feel are interpreted differently by different species. For each
word or words I have included the human definition followed by the
definition of one or more non-human animal species. Please note that
the non-human definitions are pure speculation based on the behavior of
the animals involved. As always, I don't pretend to truly know what
goes on in the mind of another animal. I feel challenged enough trying
to figure out what goes on in my own mind.

Attic: Human definition- A story or room directly below the roof
of a building, especially a house. A good place to store infrequently
used things.

Squirrel definition- A warm, dry, and safe place, like a tree cavity but much more spacious. A good place to store the kids.

This
Great Blue Heron was brought to PAWS with a broken wing. Upon x-raying
the bird it was discovered that his injuries were the result of a
gunshot wound.

Crawlspace: Human definition- A low or narrow space, such as one
beneath the upper or lower story of a building, that gives workers
access to plumbing or wiring equipment.

Raccoon, opossum, skunk, rat, otter, etc. definition- A low, narrow
space, much like a burrow but requiring no digging. A perfect place to
get out of the rain or raise a family.

Stovepipe: Human definition- A pipe, usually of thin sheet iron,
used to conduct smoke or fumes from a stove into a chimney flue. Exit
only.

Starling definition- A large, hollow opening worth investigating as a
possible nest site. Easily entered, but difficult to get out of without
assistance due to the narrowness and slick sides.

Dryer Vent: Human definition- An opening permitting the escape of excess heat and water vapor from a dryer.

Pet Food: Human definition- Food for a companion animal (such as a dog or cat). Often left outside in a pet food bowl.

Raccoon, opossum, etc. definition- Food for a raccoon, opossum, etc.
Often appears magically every day in the same location at around the
same time.

Window: Human definition- A pane of glass or similar material enclosed in a framework.

Bird definition- None. In most cases windows are completely undetectable or unrecognizable to birds.

So there you have it, my contribution to peaceful coexistence with the
wildlife in your area. Please note that this is by no means a complete
list of things that are open to multiple interpretations by different
species. I encourage you to look around your property and try to pick
out other subjects about which you and the wildlife around you might
not see eye to eye. Just remember, when negative interactions happen,
it's not due to any personal issues the animal may have with you. The
problems simply arise due to the fact that, as two different species,
you and the animal involved are working out of two different
dictionaries. It is extremely unlikely that wild animals will ever be
able to decipher our dictionary. If we wish to understand their
motivations and find ways to avoid conflicts, it is up to us to try to
decipher theirs.